Product Range

A box of Jupiter Tea, from a St. Paul, Minnesota pharmacy. "A careful composition of flowers, herbs and roots for the cure of all diseases of the THROAT, LUNGS and complains of the CHEST, KIDNEY COMPLAINTS, DROPSY and the best remedy for Blood Purifying, Cathartic and Menstruation." Courtesy of the University of Minnesota Libraries, Wangensteen Historical Library via Minnesota Digital Library.

Blind or Bleeding, Itching or Burning. One application brings relief.

—Advertisement for Humphreys' Homeo. Med. Company, New York

Pills, tonics, salves, and syrups made cure-all claims covering all kinds of ailments, from rashes and skin problems, coughs, and digestive troubles to melancholy, depression, and mental illness. Other concoctions included hair tonics that invigorated and restored hair growth as well as liniments for rheumatism and pills for neuralgia (severe headache pain).

Drugs were also developed to address conditions referred to as "female weakness" and "loss of manhood." "Female weakness" could refer to a variety of health concerns, including postpartum depression, menopause, or menstrual cramps. "Loss of manhood" was a thinly veiled term for male impotence. There was a drug or tonic to address every ailment.